Just two years after guiding the Chicago Bears to a 13-3 season and their first division title in 11 years, ESPN.com has confirmed that head coach Dick Jauron was fired by the club Monday morning.

The team has scheduled a 2 p.m. ET news conference.

The move was hardly a surprise, given that Chicago forged just 11 wins combined in the past two seasons and never matched the competitive level of Jauron's 2001 team. While the Bears did play hard down the stretch, winning four of their final six games to flirt with the .500 mark, most insiders expected it would not be enough to save Jauron's job.

In his five seasons as head coach, Jauron, 53, compiled a 35-46 record, including 0-1 in the postseason.

Jauron has one year remaining on his contract, at a salary believed to be $2.2 million-$2.5 million, and the Bears are responsible for that. It is possible Jauron could be considered for any of the other vacancies expected to be created this week and he might also be a candidate for a defensive coordinator's job with a number of franchises.

Speculation about Jauron's job status has swirled for the past year, since the Bears crumbled to 4-12 last season, a nine-game fall from 2001.

General manager Jerry Angelo inherited Jauron when he came to the club and felt that he deserved an opportunity to work with a head coach he brought to organization. Over the last few days, the McCaskey family, which owns the Bears, told Angelo that it would prefer he retain Jauron, but would not stand in his way if he opted to fire the head coach.

Sources said that Angelo made the decision to replace Jauron weeks ago and that the late-season surge did not sway him. In the wake of persistent rumors, Angelo announced last week that there would be a speedy resolution of Jauron's status when the season concluded.

Angelo and team president Ted Phillips are rumored to be in line for contract extensions.

To his credit, Jauron leaves the Bears as a team with potential, largely because he played so many youngsters in 2003. The club enjoyed a solid draft in 2003 and those players, as well as a core group of veterans with only two or three seasons of experience, should form an attractive nucleus for the next head coach. Jauron was fiercely loyal to his staff and that clearly was part of his undoing. Much of the criticism was directed at offensive coordinator John Shoop, but Jauron stood steadfastly by him.

Sources said there is no set timetable for identifying candidates. Angelo plans to work quickly, without sacrificing thoroughness. Angelo is a longtime friend and admirer of LSU coach Nick Saban but, because the Bears aren't likely to overspend for a coach, he might be out of the franchise's price range.

With the "talent" that team had, they should be a 4-5 win team. The fact that the team won 7 means that the coach should keep his job. But the coach is the one who's scapegoated.

__________________
"An avidity to punish is always dangerous to liberty. It leads men to stretch, to misinterpret, and to misapply even the best of laws. He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself." -- Thomas Paine

__________________
Pavel Datsyuk on his coach saying he gives teammates extra room on the ice: "I think he meant that I am really small," Datsyuk explained. "So when I, a small slim person, am on the ice, there is more room for bigger guys. Maybe he said that to cheer me up that I look skinny!"

Make that Fassell, Jauron, and now Dave MacGinnis according to ESPN Radio, with Buffalo's Williams close behind apparently....who's going to replace all of these guys?

And how many "interviews" will Dennis Green get?

__________________
Pavel Datsyuk on his coach saying he gives teammates extra room on the ice: "I think he meant that I am really small," Datsyuk explained. "So when I, a small slim person, am on the ice, there is more room for bigger guys. Maybe he said that to cheer me up that I look skinny!"

Originally posted by WildcatLH Jauron's another one that never deserved to get fired.

He absolutely deserved to get fired.

His blind loyalty to his coordinaters and certain players, Leon Johnson and Dez White come to mind, did him in. He probably could have bought himself some time if he would have fired Shoop as he was asked to do last offseason and he refused to do it.

Bottom line was 4 out of 5 losing seasons and I believe a 2-8 record against Green Bay isn't going to cut it.

__________________Live & PSN tag: MrX5223

"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein

Originally posted by WildcatLH Jauron's another one that never deserved to get fired.

With the "talent" that team had, they should be a 4-5 win team. The fact that the team won 7 means that the coach should keep his job. But the coach is the one who's scapegoated.

If you're saying that when a coach made the team overacheive then he should be retained, then what about when they underacheive? By that logic, underacheiving coaches should be fired, but that's not what you said in the Wannstedt thread. You can't talk out of both sides of your mouth like that.

Bottomline, after 5 friggin' years under the same regime, they (overacheived, underacheived, call it whatever you like) finished 7-9 (35-45 overall), and once again missed the playoffs. 5 years is ample time to demonstrate whether or not you got what it takes to take the team to the Super Bowl, Jauron and staff failed miserably in that regard.

If you're saying that when a coach made the team overacheive then he should be retained, then what about when they underacheive? By that logic, underacheiving coaches should be fired, but that's not what you said in the Wannstedt thread. You can't talk out of both sides of your mouth like that.

Good point, he needs to be consistent there like me.

Jauron does't deserved to be fired as he got his crappy team to over achieve. They have the same or less talent than the cardinals IMO (I mean come on, has there ever been a more worthless QB in the NFL than Stewart?) and still one seven games.

Wannstedt deserved to keep his job as his team performs up to their capabilities. They simply don't have the talent to go far in the playoffs. He takes them as far as they can go with what he has to work with IMO. They are just a team that is overrated annually.

McGinnis also got fired, which is a crying shame. He was a well liked coach, but when you have the worst front office in all of professional sports, it doesn't matter who you have as coach.

__________________
John Henson: McDonald's has dumped Kobe Bryant as their spokesperson and have replaced him with Yao Ming. Apparently McDonald's prefers Yao because he is a bigger international star, and he doesn't rape so much.

I never said Miami underacheived. With the talent they have,they did about as well as they could be expected to do. I see no inconsistency.

The way the Bears played the last two months of the season, the way they turned things around after they were probably the worst team in the NFL in September... just my opinion, but I think the turnaround should've given Jauron one more shot.

The one thing I'll fault Jauron is for not going to Grossman earlier.

__________________
"An avidity to punish is always dangerous to liberty. It leads men to stretch, to misinterpret, and to misapply even the best of laws. He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself." -- Thomas Paine

Originally posted by Deftones McGinnis also got fired, which is a crying shame. He was a well liked coach, but when you have the worst front office in all of professional sports, it doesn't matter who you have as coach.

I don't think it's a shame at all...for him, at least. It has to feel like getting out of prison. He has got such a great reputation, he's going to have his choice of gigs. He may not end up as an NFL head coach just yet, but he'll land on his feet and be better off no matter what happens.

Although I'll go out on a limb and say that Chicago won't be hiring him (again?).

Originally posted by Mad Dawg I don't think it's a shame at all...for him, at least. It has to feel like getting out of prison. He has got such a great reputation, he's going to have his choice of gigs. He may not end up as an NFL head coach just yet, but he'll land on his feet and be better off no matter what happens.

Although I'll go out on a limb and say that Chicago won't be hiring him (again?).

Very true. The Cardinals management is horrible, and it must feel good to be rid of that burden. I still feel bad for the guy, because I think he can be a great coach somewhere. The key is somewhere there is talent and where the management gives a damn.

__________________
John Henson: McDonald's has dumped Kobe Bryant as their spokesperson and have replaced him with Yao Ming. Apparently McDonald's prefers Yao because he is a bigger international star, and he doesn't rape so much.